These days it seems you are labeled either one or the other - fascist or communist - when in reality extreme politics has existed everywhere, always. These days politicians have amplified the rhetoric of the opposing sides' extremes, who truly represent a minority of society, in their attempts to drive us all crazy and gain power. While we all have philosophies about most things, at the end of the day we are mostly practical creatures seeking practical solutions to grow, evolve and survive and thrive.
As it relates to real estate: some believe market forces alone should dictate all, while others believe absolute government control is the only solution. These are polar opposites. Neither have proven to be completely effective and there are always bad abuses on both ends of this spectrum. One thing we all have in common is our dismay at how difficult it seems for governments to come to rational, balanced compromises to forge practical legislation and solutions.
Frozen governments are mostly ineffective and prevent progress. But we as humans are a part of the problem: if every thought, decision or opinion is based purely on our extreme political ideology, chances are we as a society will be frozen too. In real estate we have a 'shortage-of-housing' crisis. A crisis requires urgent, collective and practical solutions. And maybe some compromises too.
All of us in the real estate sphere need to roll up our sleeves and get involved: we have real, boots-on-the-ground knowledge and understanding of real estate. Take off your political glasses and put on the practical glasses you use every day so successfully. Our voices matter and can be extremely helpful. Collectively, let's work together to identify the challenges fully and honestly.
Then let us look to areas that have enacted solutions that deliver real results and why. And then let's implement tangible curated plans to enact these solutions. This is not simple or easy. But let's do this quickly. We are already very late and have to play years of catch-up. This is not a comfortable exercise. There is lots of blame to go around. Let's stop the blaming and start the solving.
No, this is not 'their' problem. This is OUR problem. We all stand to be enormous beneficiaries of healthier housing supply. Likewise, we will all suffer the consequences of inaction. (We already are!)
